CSA General John Bell Hood was born this day in 1831. Read an article critiquing JOhn Bell Hood’s leadership inthe Civil War.
Uniform coat of C.S.A. General John Bell Hood, The Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, VA
The story of how the first black Union troops were officially approved of by the War Department and then finally raised and mustered in the field is very fascinating. We recently set the record straight on just what infantry was the first black Union men to serve (hint: it was NOT the 54th Massachusetts). Read more.
General David Hunter
Another piece to the puzzle is understanding what took place in the Spring of 1862 regarding the interest on the part of some Union commanders in raising up blacks troops to serve.
In early 1862 several Union generals were interested in raising black troops to fight for the North. However, at the time, the official government policy forbid using black troops.
Major General David Hunter had petitioned the War Department in April 1862 to be able to raise 50,000 black troops to reinforce the Department of the South. Ironically, Hunter was one of the few abolitionists among senior level Union commanders in early 1862.
Not having formal permission yet, in May 1862, General Hunter dispatched white Union troops to basically round up contraband men ages 18-45 in the occupied Sea Islands area (see map). Thousands of black men were organized into units but the incident raised a tremendous outcry among the blacks who did not have an interest in serving. Hunter let those who did not want to serve go home. The rest remained in unofficial service for the Union, mostly stationed at Hilton Head.
Note: A letter the Civil War Gazette has recently acquired gives some interesting insight into the status of the black soldier prior to the war department’s official approval of raising black troops. Click here to read the full letter by Pvt W.H.H. Miles, Company E, 100th Pennsylvania; letter written May 12th, 1862.
As the summer of 1862 wore on the outcry from the grassroots reached the level of Congressional leadership. Hunter’s unofficial and non-sanctioned activities were exposed at the highest levels of the War Department and of Congress. Someone had to pay for not operating according to official War Department policy and so Hunter was targeted. He was forced to disband his Sea Island units on August 9th. Strangely, one Company did not receive the order to disband and so they remained in service at St. Simon’s Island on the Georgia Coast.
It would be just eleven days later (August 20) when Robert Smalls and Mansfield French (from Beaufort, South Carolina) would have an audience with Secretary Stanton and President Lincoln in which a formal plea would be made to allow for blacks to fight with the formal blessing of the War Department. The request was granted five days later (August 25th), and Sea Island contraband-blacks would be the foundation for the start of the first official Union blacks troops; otherwise known as the 1st South Carolina Infantry. See our previous post to read about the forming of the 1st South Carolina.
For more information and research
Books to read:
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- The Negro’s Civil War, James M. McPherson.
- Firebrand of Liberty: The story of two black regiments that changed the course of the Civil War. Stephen Ash.
April 21 – the Confederate Congress passes the Partisan Ranger Act thereby legitimizing many guerilla organizations fighting throughout the Confederacy. Partisan leaders like John Singleton Mosby and William Quantrill will soon become Confederate officers.
April 24 – Navy Captain David Farragut (USA) launches his siege against New Orleans, eventually capturing the largest Confederate city by May 1st.
For a complete timeline of important events during the American Civil War click here.
What happened on this day during the Civil War - April 16th?
- April 16, 1862 - Confederate Congress, following numerous Western Theater losses in the past three months, issues the first-ever conscription act in American military history. This would be just the first of three Confederate conscription acts.
- April 16, 1862 – Lincoln signs a bill outlawing slavery in the District of Columbia.
- April 16, 1863 – Grant turns his attention again towards Vicksburg by sending gunboats and transports to the region. He will eventually capture the city in a couple months. The city was deemed impregnable by the citizens, hailing it as the “Gibraltar of the West”.
- April 16, 1864 – An official report from the ward department lists 146,634 prisoners of war.
For a complete timeline of the American Civil War, click here.
April 16 – Grant turns his attention again towards Vicksburg by sending gunboats and transports to the region. He will eventually capture the city in a couple months. The city was deemed impregnable by the citizens, hailing it as the “Gibraltar of the West”.
April 17 – Gierson’s 600 mile cavalry raid begins in Mississippi in an effort to divert attention away from Grant’s gunboats near Vicksburg. 1,700 Union cavalry wound wreak havoc in Mississippi in a two week period.
April 27 – Union General Joe Hooker launches his Chancellorsville Campaign in Northern Virginia in an attempt to get around Lee’s left flank.
See the complete Civil War Timeline here.
What happened on this day during the Civil War - April 15th?
- April 15, 1861 - President Abraham Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers to serve a 90-day term in the U.S. Army to quell the rebellion.
- April 15, 1865 – Vice President Andrew Johnson takes the oath of office following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
For a complete timeline of the American Civil War, click here.
5th Annual Skirmish at Jeffersonville
April 17, 18, 19, 2009
At Historic Crab Orchard Museum & Pioneer Park
Friday – April 17, 2009
Dusk – Nighttime Artillery Fire
Saturday – April 18, 2009
10 – 5 pm Tour the encampment
2 pm Battlefield Reenactment
8 pm Period Ball
Sunday – April 19, 2009
10 – 3 pm Tour the encampment
11 am War Period Church Service
2 pm Battlefield Reenactment
Adult admission: $5.00 daily or $10.00 for weekend pass.
Children’s admission age 7-12: $3.00 daily or $5.00 for weekend pass
Children 6 and under admitted FREE
Admission for Saturday evening ball only $5.00
Historic Crab Orchard Museum is located 4 miles west of Tazewell, VA, on HWY
19/460.
Contact us at: (276) 988-6755 or www.craborchardmuseum.com
Thank you for your support and let me know of any concerns.
Thanks,
Cortney A. Honaker
Historic Crab Orchard Museum & Pioneer Park, Inc.
Administrative / Collections Curator
3663 Crab Orchard Rd.
Tazewell, VA 24651
276.988.6755
chonaker@craborchardmuseum.com <mailto:chonaker@craborchardmuseum.com>
www.craborchardmuseum.com <http://www.craborchardmuseum.com>
What happened on this day during the Civil War - April 14th?
April 14, 1862 – Gen. Johnston pleads with Davis to be allowed to withdraw his troops from Yorktown. Davis objects.
April 14, 1862 – Federals engage with Quantrill’s raiders in Missouri.
April 14, 1863 – CSA Gen Richard Taylor’s troops abandon Fort Bisland, LA.
April 14, 1865 - Lincoln assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C.
April 14, 1865 - Secretary Seward is stabbed by Booth co-conspirator in assassination attempt.
For a complete timeline of the American Civil War, click here.
What happened on this day during the Civil War – April 13th?
- Saturday, April 13, 1861 – Maj Robert Anderson surrenders Fort Sumter to the Confederates in the opening salvo of the American Civil War.
- Sunday, April 13, 1862 - Gen David Hunter declares his region (vicinity of Ft. Pulaski, GA) free of slavery. Issues his own unapproved emancipation of slaves.
- Monday, April 13, 1863 – Federals assault Fort Bisland, LA; on Bayou Teche.
- Wednesday, April 13, 1864 - CSA Nathan Bedford Forrest’s cavalry skirmish in Columbus, KY.
- Thursday, April 13, 1865 – Raleigh falls to Sherman.
For a complete timeline of the American Civil War, click here.
